Summer Hire Ch. 04

Job Offer

Melissa glanced down to check the map on her phone. The blue dot showed she was still on the correct road, just as it had when she last looked at it less than a minute ago. She chided herself to relax and enjoy the drive.

The sun flickered through the deep green trees lining the street. The warm fragrance of early summer rushed in through her open window. It was a beautiful day, so she hardly minded not having the money to fix her air conditioning.

Ever since Erik's call two days ago, she had been distracted and nervous, trying to figure out how she wanted their date to go. Except it wasn't a 'date,' she reminded herself. She had insisted on something neutral, something during the day, simply because she didn't trust herself alone with him at night. She didn't want to have their first date turn into one wild night of sex and then have him disappear forever the next day.

They had agreed on a walk along a creek in a park near his house. She had worn a one-piece bathing suit under her jeans and shirt, just to slow things down if she somehow did wind up with her pants down around her ankles.

She told herself that choosing to wear a one piece bathing suit didn't mean that she lacked trust in her resolve, but the scene in the seminar room kept playing back in her mind. Once her post-orgasmic bliss had faded, she had been incredibly embarrassed that she actually had an orgasm with someone she just met, while they were both still fully clothed. Fortunately, he hadn't said anything about it on the phone.

She checked her map again. The blue dot was coming up on his house. The properties she was driving past were at least several acres each, with big houses set well back among large trees. Some houses, she couldn't even see from the road. "Definitely old money territory," she muttered to herself. "Sure, I'll fit in here, just like the hired help."

Up ahead, she spotted a mailbox with his house number on it. Slowing down, she turned into his driveway. She couldn't see a house. The driveway disappeared into the woods.

She slowed her car to a crawl, pondering the wisdom of continuing. She hadn't told anyone where she was going. She was too embarrassed to be dating a VIP donor. Trying to break the tension that had suddenly gripped her, she joked to herself, "But it's not a date."

She snorted at her sudden fears. "Come on. He's a big deal muckity-muck. It's not like he's going to tie me up and rape me." She found her thoughts slipping into a fantasy of that image for a moment and was annoyed to feel her sex clench tight in pleasure. She was always embarrassed by how much rape fantasies turned her on.

As her thoughts had wandered, her car was still slowly drifting forward. She snapped her attention back to the driveway and sped up. "Yeah, no sex. That's why I've got a bathing suit underneath my hiking clothes, and it ain't coming off. Hear that Mr. Rich Guy? I'm a good little Catholic girl... well, I was... once... long ago... and it still ain't coming off." She laughed at her bravado, knowing her horrible track record with keeping those sorts of promises.

Around the bend, the house appeared. Getting closer, she could see it was actually a gathering of low structures, spread out along the brow of a hill, overlooking a meadow and stream. The buildings all seemed to be made of stone and weathered wood, with slate roofs. It reminded her of something that might have been designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The driveway ended in a courtyard. The main house was on the downslope side of the courtyard. It looked as though the front door of the main house was on what must be the upper floor. The rest of the large building flowed down the slope, with its broad roof sweeping toward the meadow. On the other side of the courtyard was a wood and stone retaining wall. The top of the hill rose up behind the wall. At the far end of the courtyard, a pathway curved around the brow of the hill, running between several smaller wood and stone buildings.

She parked her car and looked around, not sure if she should get out. Behind her, she heard a screen door screech open, then bang shut. Looking back, she saw Erik coming out of the main house. He was dressed in blue jeans that clung to his form, with a simple white button-down shirt and rolled-up sleeves. His shirt had a rumpled look of a cotton-linen blend that hadn't been ironed. He was wearing hiking boots that had clearly seen plenty of use.

He waved to her, "Welcome!" She got out as he walked toward her, saying, "I see you found the place. It's great to see you again." He casually halted several steps away, which removed, she realized, any question of whether he would shake her hand or kiss her. In all her obsessing about how this 'not-a-date' would go, she hadn't even considered how he would greet her. She tried to tell herself that she felt relief, not disappointment, that he hadn't greeted her with a kiss.

"Great to see you again too. You've got a really beautiful place."

"Thanks. Well, come on in. We can grab some water and head out towards the creek."

"Ah, okay."

She followed him toward the front door. He paused so she could catch up and they could walk together. Erik opened the screen door, gesturing her in. The inside of the house looked cool and dim.

Melissa stepped inside, surprised to see that most of the house was one large open space, which stepped down the slope in several levels. They were standing on the highest level. A long sloping ceiling stretched down across a large expanse of space spreading out below. Half a level down, in front of her, was a large country kitchen, with a big dining table off to the right. Another half-level below that was a living area. The far wall of the living area was lined with sliding glass doors, leading out onto a terrace. Beyond that, the slope continued down across the meadow to the creek. On the far side of the creek, a wooded slope rose beyond the view of the windows from where she stood. Through a small eyebrow window at her level, she could glimpse far off trees and blue sky.

"Erik, this is gorgeous!"

"Thanks. It's always wonderful to come back here, especially when I've been living in some dreary rental apartment on an assignment." He smiled at a memory and said, "You should see this place in the snow."

She nodded, seeing a large stone fireplace on the left side of the living area and imaging lying intertwined with him on the thick rug that lay in front of it, illuminated by a glowing fire while a winter storm howled outside. She quickly shook away the image and asked, "But how do you take care of all this, if you're away for months at a time?"

"There's a wonderful couple who lives in one of the guesthouses. They take care of almost everything around here. Mrs. Grady even cooks for me sometimes, when I'm around, and I'm too busy to cook for myself. She's quite good. She'd spoil me rotten if I let her."

"You call her 'Mrs. Grady'?"

"Well, she's British. It just seemed like the thing to do. I admit that I call her husband Chuck, but he's an American."

She cocked her head at him, still puzzled.

"Oh, she's sweet enough. Very kind, really. It's just that she has that gray-haired British sense of reserve. She first introduced herself to me as Mrs. Grady. It seemed wrong to call her anything else. Thankfully, she doesn't call me 'young Master Erik.' That would be embarrassing. Anyway, let me grab some water and then we can head out. Do you want me to bring along any snack bars?" He started down a half flight of stairs into the kitchen.

"Ah, no. I just ate. Water will be fine." She looked around as she walked to the steps. To her right was a study lined with bookshelves, which shared the top level with the entry. Erik had set the study up as a working office for himself.

In the kitchen, Erik opened up a black anodized aluminum refrigerator door and pulled out a small CamelBak day pack. Slinging it over one shoulder, he joined Melissa to head down the next half flights of steps to the living area. She noted the comfortable overstuffed leather couches and chairs as they passed through and out onto the terrace. Erik gestured down to the creek, "Across the stream is state park land. Upstream, it's parkland on both sides. They allow hunting in the fall. The woods are crawling with hunters for a few weeks. Other than that, though, it's pretty quiet. Well, except for daisies running riot."

Melissa looked at him puzzled again.

"Sorry, just a bit of song lyric I've always liked." As they walked to the steps down to the meadow, he started singing in a soft baritone.

By the time he finished singing, they were down to the creek. He gestured upstream, and they walked together. Melissa said, "That was really lovely. I think my dad sometimes used to listen to that song. He likes jazz."

"Yeah, me too. The song's an old show tune, though. I just like the jazz version of it. So what does your dad do?"

"He's got a heating and air conditioning business. He does pretty well at it. He never went to college but sent all of us through. He's even helping out with my grad school, although grant money covers a lot, plus I worked for a couple of years before going back."

"Have you got a lot of brothers and sisters?"

"Two older, one younger. Joe, Liam, me, and Sean."

"An' I'm guessing that's it's an Irish Catholic lot," he intoned with a soft Irish lilt.

"Aye now, from County Kildare." She laughed, "Actually, both sides of my family have been in the States for a couple of generations, so I'm not entirely sure where we all are from. Mostly Brooklyn and St. Louis.

"How about you?"

He looked pensive for a minute before answering. "My mom was first-generation Ukrainian Jewish. Her parents were smuggled out just before the Second World War. My dad was a Mayflower blue blood mutt."

She asked, "Was?"

"Yeah, they both died in a car accident when I was young. I lived with my dad's parents, but my uncle, my mom's brother, really raised me."

He saw the curiosity in her face and continued, "My grandparents had a big house and servants, but my grandparents weren't around much. Nearly every day, my uncle would come over and eat dinner with me in the kitchen. We'd do homework together. I spent a lot of my weekends with him too. He's a college professor."

Erik paused, seeming unsure whether or not to say more, and then he continued, "I didn't realize until a few years ago that he's gay. He's from an older generation and not really comfortable with it. I think he liked helping raise me because then he had an excuse not to date. I razz him now about finding a nice man and settling down. He's still embarrassed to talk about it, but I think he's loosening up. He's truly an awesome guy. I want him to be happy."

The trail they had been following along the creek petered out into a fierce looking thicket ahead. Erik pointed at the rocks that littered the creek bed along this section. "Here. Follow me." Then he started hopping from rock to rock, crossing to the other side. Once reaching the far bank, he turned and called out, "It's easy."

Melissa snorted, "Ha, that's what you say. You just want to see me get wet." She looked carefully at the rocks, retracing in her mind the path he had taken. Then she set out, not as swiftly, but making steady progress. She only wobbled once before making it to the last rock, which was a little further from dry land than she realized.

Erik reached out and took her hand to help her jump across. "See, I told you it was easy." He loosened his grasp but did not entirely let go of her hand. She let her hand stay in his as they set off along the path on this side of the creek.

She asked, "So what got you into rescuing companies?"

"I guess I'm good at it. Not sure why, but I've been doing it since I got out of school. My uncle hooked me up with a group that specializes in turnarounds. At lot of folks in this line of work are just 'turn and burn.' They work out favorable liquidations or asset sales. It's an easier payday that way.

"I like to take on companies that have a real shot at working it out. Usually, they're in over their head with debt, and their productivity is in the crapper. It's a death spiral. But if I can rework the management team, lean on the debt holders, and get the workers going again, I can usually get a business back up on its feet. At that point, I get a big payout. I do well enough."

"Sure looks like it."

Something in her tone made him stiffen, "There're a half dozen companies and hundreds of jobs around today, that wouldn't have been otherwise."

"Sorry Erik, I really meant that in a positive way. I mean it's clear that your values aren't just about money. I could see it in your house. It isn't some McMansion that screams, 'look at me -- I'm successful.' Sure, your place is big, but it's also warm and cozy. Beautiful, even. There's a sense of goodness in it."

"Ah, sorry I snapped. Lots of people think I screw over vulnerable companies to get rich. It's sort of a sore point. I, um, thanks for what you said."

Distracted, Melissa exclaimed, "Hey, what's that?" She pointed ahead where some large rocks had tumbled together in the creek along with a log, creating a blockage where water spilled over the top and through the gaps.

"I'm not sure. I haven't been up this far since winter. It looks like one of the storms must have rearranged the flow. I'm always amazed at how much a creek can change from year to year."

They walked up to inspect the accidental dam and discovered a deep pool on the upstream side. "Wow, that's awesome," Melissa exclaimed as she kicked off her sneakers. She stuck one foot in and said, "Hey, the water's nice."

Erik looked dubious. "You sure. It's a little early in the season. The water's usually warmer later in the summer."

"Wimp," Melissa said, pulling off her shirt. Erik looked a little surprised as she started unzipping her jeans, then he saw that she was wearing a blue one-piece bathing suit underneath. She gathered up her clothes and set them on a rock, then stepped into the water. "Oh, that's wonderful." She continued wading in, until the water reached her waist, then she knelt down, letting the water flow past her shoulders.

She gestured with a teasing grin, "Come in, you big sissy."

"Humph!" Erik crouched down to unlace his boots.

Melissa watched him, wondering if he wore boxers or briefs.

With his boots off, Erik quickly stripped off his shirt. When he unzipped his pants, Melissa realized that he wore neither boxers nor briefs. He slid his pants down as she looked away, somewhat embarrassed, from the sight of his semi-erect penis. He stepped into the water to join her. She looked back up to him, trying to keep her eyes focused on his head and torso.

She was happy to take in the magnificence of his body, even from the waist up. He was sculpted and lean, without a body builder's bulk. His skin was smooth, without much body hair. She wasn't certain, because she had looked elsewhere so quickly, but she thought that his crotch area was also shaved smooth of hair. Now, he was waist deep in the water, wading over to her, so she couldn't tell for sure if her glimpse had been accurate.

He stopped in front of her. "What do you mean, 'it's nice'? It's freezing!"

"Well, I'm warm in my bathing suit," she said coyly.

"I see. So this is all a put-up to lure me naked into this icy water. Well missy, that simply won't do. It just won't do." He crossed his arms and looked down at her with mock sternness. "You must be punished."

"Oh no!" She gasped in feigned horror. "Whatever shall I do?"

"You will go to that rock over there." He pointed at a smooth boulder a few feet away. "And rest your forearms on it."

He remained standing, pointing at the rock, as she realized that he wasn't entirely joking. He really wanted her to go over to the rock and lean across it.

"Well go on." His voice was even and measured, but there was a command within it that both thrilled and scared her. She hesitated.

He lowered his chin, glowering a little now. She was still mostly certain that he was play-acting, but the effect was powerful. Even in the cold water, she could feel the warmth of her juices start to flow.

Hesitantly, at first, she swam over to the appointed rock. Rising out of the water, she turned and leaned across the warm smooth surface of the boulder, resting on her forearms as directed.

Erik came up from behind her. His hand traced the arch of her back from her shoulders to her bottom. Then he reached down and lifted her hips a little higher. His hand caressed the small of her back again, encouraging her back to form a deeper arch, leaving her buttocks feeling very high and exposed.

He intoned, "Very good of you to have assumed the correct position. You must keep that pose until I release you."

She heard the words, amazed that someone was commanding her about how to bend over a rock, and even more amazed that she was so willing to obey.

With his left hand resting lightly on her back, he brought his right hand down into a sharp smack on her bottom. She felt a flare of anger, expecting the slap to hurt. Instead, a jolt of pure sexual energy shot through her. There was a stinging feeling as well, but the raw burst of arousal that accompanied being spanked was something she had never experienced before.

He lightly ran the back of his right hand across where it had landed on her left buttock. As the backs of his fingernails drifted across the blue nylon covering her bottom, she sucked in her breath, her sex clenching tightly.

Then he drew his hand away. After an interminable moment of anticipation, smack! This time his hand landed on her right cheek. She gasped again at the jolt of arousal, followed by a tingling sting.

Then his left hand reached under the edge of her swimsuit, where it was pulled tight across her buttocks. He gathered the fabric together in his fist and gently pulled this gathered material up along the cleft between her buttocks, turning the back of her suit into a thong, exposing the smooth skin of both cheeks. Before letting go, he tugged upwards, pulling her the crotch of her suit tight across her sex. She shuddered.

Without warning, he began spanking her again, this time without pausing between strikes. With each blow, she found herself ratcheting to a higher and higher level of sexual intensity. She held motionless, receiving every stroke with greedy anticipation, hoping desperately that he wouldn't stop until she orgasmed.

Even as she climbed higher and higher, the crest still didn't appear in sight. Her sense of time dilated and her rear seemed on fire. Suddenly, she was wracked by a shuddering orgasm, which had overtaken her as a complete surprise. The orgasm went on and on. Finally spent, she slumped, breathless and dazed, across the smooth surface of the boulder.

Erik stood beside her, his hand resting softly on the small of her back. As her breathing slowed, she sighed and shifted into a more comfortable position, draped across the sun-dappled stone. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him smiling, seeming pleased that he had correctly gauged her and the moment.

Melissa let her eyes close, drifting along the edge of something that was not quite sleep. The warm hardness of the stone supported her from below while the light touch of Erik's hand contained her from above. She was grateful for his steady presence. Otherwise, she felt as light as a leaf, ready to spin lazily downstream.

Gradually, she came back present. Lifting her head slightly, she asked, "What was that?"

He sat down on the boulder next to her, shifting his hand to gently stroke her outstretched arm. "At a guess, I'd say it was pretty wonderful."

She hummed her agreement.

After a final moment to collect herself, she rolled onto her side to look up at him, propping her head up on her arm. "So... what can I do for you?" She looked down suggestively, her eyes sweeping across his naked form.